Fister's poor start dooms Nationals in 8-3 loss to Padres

San Diego Padres grounds crew members remove a tarp during a rain delay in the Padres' baseball game against the Washington Nationals on Thursday, May 14, 2015, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Gregory Bull

May 15, 2015

SAN DIEGO (AP) A rain delay of nearly two hours had nothing to do with how poorly Doug Fister pitched.

Fister lasted only two innings in the Washington Nationals' 8-3 loss to the San Diego Padres, allowing seven runs and eight hits.

''I can't make any excuses for what I did tonight,'' he said. ''It's one of those nights I didn't do my job at all and put my team in a hole from the get-go. There's no excuses. Ball came up, middle of the plate. They're whacking at it, too. It's unacceptable.''

Spangenberg homered to right-center with two outs in the second off Fister and to left off Blake Treinen leading off the fourth. They were his first two of the season.

Norris hit a three-run homer to left with two outs in the first and barely missed another shot in the second, settling for a two-run triple off the wall in left-center, also with two outs.

Norris' chance at the first cycle in Padres history ended when he grounded out to shortstop in the fifth.

The offensive outburst gave Tyson Ross (2-3) his first victory since April 12 against San Francisco.

The game was held up for 1 hour, 56 minutes in the first inning, just the fifth rain delay since Petco Park opened in 2004. It had rained earlier Thursday, but the tarp came off about an hour before first pitch. Rain started falling during the pregame managers' meeting, and crew chief Gerry Davis sent the players off after Ross struck out leadoff batter Denard Span.

''It's never good for anybody to have a delay like that, to start the game and then get one batter in. It is what it is. Sometimes it rains,'' Nationals manager Matt Williams said.

Ross had a strong start, holding Washington to two runs and five hits in five-plus innings while striking out six and walking three.

Fister (2-2) retired the first two Padres batters in the first before Matt Kemp and Justin Upton singled ahead of Norris' homer.

He retired the first two batters in the second before Spangenberg homered. Will Venable walked, Kemp singled and Upton hit an RBI single before Norris tripled.

''Ball's just up and in the middle of the plate,'' Williams said of Fister. ''Couple of singles and then the homer got us down early. Didn't throw where he wanted to tonight.''

Wilson Ramos drove in two runs for Washington, on a single and a sacrifice fly.

Padres: 1B-OF Wil Myers had a cortisone shot Wednesday and his left wrist is in a brace due to tendinitis. He says he's hoping to avoid the disabled list. ''I got some goodies yesterday so hopefully we can get back out there,'' he said. ... 1B Yonder Alonso has increased his range of motion in his strained right shoulder but there's no timetable for his return.

UP NEXT

Nationals: RHP Jordan Zimmermann (2-2, 4.20) comes in with a 2-1 record and 0.60 ERA in four starts at Petco Park, his lowest ERA against any opponent with a minimum of two starts.

Padres: RHP Odrisamer Despaigne (2-1, 5.13 ERA) will make his second straight start after three straight appearances out of the bullpen.

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